YouTube: Patriots or Tokyo Rose?

YouTube: Patriots or Tokyo Rose?

YouTube is an endless source of amusement with everything from silly homemade music videos to clips of Stephen Colbert’s latest comedy bit. Yet, like most areas of human endeavor, it has its dark side too.

It appears that Iraqi terrorists are posting GI snuff films on YouTube. These are graphic video clips of insurgents killing American soldiers, often accompanied by mocking commentary, even by some Americans.

While it may serve some useful purpose for Americans to see and understand just how our soldiers are sacrificing over there, these videos are aimed mainly at mocking our troops and reducing American morale during wartime. Would that make a YouTube a modern-day Tokyo Rose?

ouTube disclaims any responsibility for its content, but that’s too precious a dodge. What YouTube, an American-based medium, has chosen to do is allow itself to be used to amplify and facilitate enemy propaganda. Not in the context of reporting on that propaganda, not to foster a serious discussion of that propaganda. But for entertainment. For comedy. For money. That is aiding and abetting the enemy, and that, in wartime, is a hanging offense.

Should YouTube be held accountable? Is this treason? In this age of global communications and instant access, should an American company be policing its content for anti-American propaganda designed to hurt America?

Should YouTube be patriotic?

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